R L Hughes Primary School

About R L Hughes Primary School

R L Hughes Primary School is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 105 applications for just 50 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.1. Of those 105 applications, 46 were first-preference choices, and all 46 received an offer. This level of demand suggests parents in the Wigan area hold the school in high regard, though the school does not publish a formal parent recommendation percentage. The school is a state-funded, mixed primary for ages 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. It has no religious character and is led by headteacher Monica Middlehurst. With 440 pupils on roll against a capacity of 460, it is operating close to full, which reinforces its status as a sought-after local option.

Academically, R L Hughes performs solidly against local benchmarks. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 68% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which sits above the Wigan local authority average of 65%. The school ranks 42nd out of 98 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the top half locally. At the higher standard, 2% of pupils achieved that combined measure, with individual subject highs of 28% in reading and 27% in maths. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 106 in maths, both above the national baseline of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in February 2023, confirmed it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since its last graded inspection in 2013. Leadership and management were also judged Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a dining hall, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, and a forest school area. Sports provision covers football, cricket, gymnastics, swimming and athletics, while clubs include chess, gardening and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and multi-sensory impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest outstanding-rated primary is Nicol Mere School, just 0.9 km away, but R L Hughes’s strong local performance and high demand make it a realistic and well-regarded option for families living within its catchment area.

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